


The one after Matthew's funeral

by akachankami



Series: Shippers Anonymous [13]
Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 20:37:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11699469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akachankami/pseuds/akachankami
Summary: Prompt:A week since the funeral and Carson was still climbing the stairs every whip-stitch to check on his precious Lady Mary. Elsie wanted to be cross with the girl for causing him such stress but found she couldn't. She shoo-ed him upstairs and with quiet reigning throughout the house, she made her way upstairs to his room. Opening the door, she peered in to find him sleeping against the headboard, his reading glasses at the tip of his nose, hands clutching the book in his lap.





	The one after Matthew's funeral

She slips inside and quietly closes the door. In a sudden moment of self awareness facing the wooden door she understands she's unable to stop worrying about him much the same as Charles cannot stop worrying about his Lady Mary. She's an old fool. They both are.

Letting her hand fall at her side from the door handle she sighs and approaches his bed. She doesn't wake him, he keeps restlessly dreaming for his eyelids flutter but he doesn't move even when the mattress sinks as she sits next to him. She silently takes his glasses off and replaces the book in his hands with her own hand.

His light snoring is all there is. Elsie tries to shift him to a more comfortable position but has to call him softly and he doesn't even open his eyes, a ghost of a smile at his lips, he grabs her hand tighter and she slides down on the bed with him, head on his chest, tangled legs and his heavy arm across her middle. They slept like this the past week, since Mr Crawley's funeral.

She does not mind the back ache in the morning, or the numb arm, she does not care about restless nights as long as she can help him rest. She secretly dreads the day he'll be able to sleep alone again since she no longer can.


End file.
